Steed v. Grand Teton Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Inc.

172 P.3d 1123, 144 Idaho 848, 2007 Ida. LEXIS 216
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 30, 2007
DocketNo. 33272
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 172 P.3d 1123 (Steed v. Grand Teton Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Steed v. Grand Teton Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Inc., 172 P.3d 1123, 144 Idaho 848, 2007 Ida. LEXIS 216 (Idaho 2007).

Opinions

EISMANN, Chief Justice.

This is an appeal from an order denying in part the appellant’s motion for summary judgment. Because the trial court’s decision involved legal issues of first impression regarding the liability of a corporation for the tort of injury to a child under Idaho Code § 6-1701(4), we granted an interlocutory appeal to address those issues of law. We do so, vacate the order denying the motion for summary judgment and remand for further proceedings.

I.FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

The Plaintiffs, Adam and Benjamin Steed, filed this action on February 24, 2005. They alleged that in 1997 they were sexually molested by Bradley Stowell while at a boy scout camp operated by Grand Teton Council of the Boy Scouts of America (Grand Teton Council). They brought the action against Boy Scouts of America, Grand Teton Council, Stowell, and others. The Steeds sought to recover for assault and battery, false imprisonment, negligence per se, and negligence. This appeal involves only the claims against Grand Teton Council.

Grand Teton Council moved to dismiss the complaint as to it on the ground that the claims were barred by the statute of limitations in Idaho Code § 5-219. The district court held that all of the Steeds’ claims were barred by the statute of limitations except for claims that could be brought under Idaho Code § 6-1701. That statute creates four tort causes of action in child abuse cases. They are: (1) lewd conduct as defined in Idaho Code § 18-1508; (2) sexual abuse of a child as defined in Idaho Code § 18-1506; (3) sexual exploitation of a child as defined in Idaho Code § 18-1507; and (4) injury to a child as defined in Idaho Code § 18-1501. An action under any of those four causes of action may be maintained within five years after the child reaches the age of eighteen years. I.C. § 6-1704. The complaint in this case was filed within five years of when the Steeds each turned eighteen.

The district court held that the Steeds’ cause of action under Idaho Code § 6-1701(4) was not barred by the statute of limitations. Grand Teton Council asked this Court to grant an interlocutory appeal in order to address three issues: (1) Does this Court’s opinion in Osborn v. Salinas, 131 Idaho 456, 958 P.2d 1142 (1998), bar recovery against Grand Teton Council?; (2) Can a corporation be liable in damages for the tort of injury to a child as defined in Idaho Code § 6-1701(4)?; and (3) Can a non-profit corporation be liable for damages? This Court granted an appeal from that interlocutory order to address issues of law relevant to the district court’s decision.

II.ISSUES ON APPEAL

1. Does this Court’s opinion in Osborn v. Salinas, 131 Idaho 456, 958 P.2d 1142 (1998), bar recovery against Grand Teton Council?

2. Can a corporation be liable for the tort of injury to a child as it is defined in Idaho Code § 18-1501?

3. Can a nonprofit corporation be held liable for damages?

4. Would the payment of compensation to the Steeds while they were at the Boy Scout camp prevent them from being in the care or custody of the Grand Teton Council?

5. Did the district court err in denying Grand Teton Council’s motion for summary judgment?

III.ANALYSIS

A. Does this Court’s Opinion in Osborn v. Salinas, 131 Idaho 456, 958 P.2d 1142 (1998), Bar Recovery Against Grand Teton Council?

In Osborn v. Salinas, 131 Idaho 456, 958 P.2d 1142 (1998), the plaintiff, Osborn, was a former high-school student who attended Centennial High School in Meridian School District No. 2. during the years 1989 through 1991. On December 13, 1995, Osborn filed a lawsuit contending that while she was attend[851]*851ing the high school one of her teachers named Salinas sexually abused her. She sought to recover damages against the teacher, the high school, the school district, and the local board of education. She asserted claims under state law and under federal law (42 U.S.C. § 1983).

The school district moved for summary judgment on the grounds that her alleged state law claims were barred by the failure to give timely notice of tort claim as required by Idaho Code § 6-906A and that her claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 was barred by the statute of limitations. The district judge granted the school district’s motion for summary judgment, and the former student appealed.

At the time of the alleged sexual assaults, Idaho Code § 6-906A required Osborn to present and file a notice of tort claim against the school district within 120 days after she reached age eighteen.1 She turned eighteen on February 9,1991, but did not file a timely notice of tort claim. She argued on appeal that where Idaho Code § 6-1704 provided that the statute of limitations for certain torts committed against children did not expire until five years after the child reached age eighteen, this Court should use that statute by analogy to extend the time period for giving notice of tort claim under Idaho Code § 6-906A. This Court rejected that argument and concluded the discussion with the following statement:

Furthermore, I.C. § 6-1704 sets a time limit within which to file an action, not to file notice of a tort claim. Even if it were intended to toll the time in which minors must give notice of their claims, the statute applies to the perpetrators of sexual abuse and does not govern claims against third parties.

Grand Teton Council seizes upon the last sentence in the above-quoted statement from the Osborn v. Salinas

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Bluebook (online)
172 P.3d 1123, 144 Idaho 848, 2007 Ida. LEXIS 216, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/steed-v-grand-teton-council-of-the-boy-scouts-of-america-inc-idaho-2007.